Subaru Outback adaptive cruise problems

Filed Sep 10, 2026 · Driver assistance · AL

I own a 2024 Subaru Outback Limited XT, VIN [XXX]. While traveling approximately 45–50 mph on a four-lane road with Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) engaged, my vehicle suddenly and rapidly decelerated and automatically applied the brakes as I approached a police vehicle traveling in the lane immediately to my right. There was NOTHING in my lane for at least one mile ahead of me. The police vehicle was not in my lane. It was traveling in the adjacent lane to my right. As I approached the police vehicle, my Subaru unexpectedly began rapidly decelerating and automatically braking. I did not apply the brakes. There was no warning beep before the automatic braking occurred. The vehicle behaved as though it had detected an imminent collision or obstacle directly in its path, even though there was no vehicle, pedestrian, or other obstacle in my lane for at least a mile. The event occurred while Adaptive Cruise Control was engaged. I am concerned that the EyeSight/Adaptive Cruise Control and/or Pre-Collision Braking system incorrectly detected the police vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane as an obstacle or as being in my vehicle’s path. The sudden automatic braking at approximately 45–50 mph is a serious safety concern. A vehicle traveling behind me could have struck my vehicle because the deceleration was unexpected and there was no warning beep. This type of false or inappropriate automatic braking could cause a rear-end collision or other crash. I am requesting that the federal safety agency investigate whether 2024 Subaru Outback vehicles equipped with EyeSight and Adaptive Cruise Control are experiencing unintended or inappropriate automatic braking, phantom braking, or rapid deceleration when vehicles are traveling in an adjacent lane. I would like this complaint associated with other reports involving sudden braking, rapid deceleration, Adaptive Cruise Control, EyeSight, and Pre-Collision Braking in 2024 Subaru Outback vehicles. I am willing to provide additional informati INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION

Filed Sep 8, 2026 · Driver assistance · AL

I own a 2024 Subaru Outback Limited XT, VIN [XXX]. While traveling approximately 45–50 mph on a four-lane road with Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) engaged, my vehicle suddenly and rapidly decelerated and automatically applied the brakes as I approached a police vehicle traveling in the lane immediately to my right. There was NOTHING in my lane for at least one mile ahead of me. The police vehicle was not in my lane. It was traveling in the adjacent lane to my right. As I approached the police vehicle, my Subaru unexpectedly began rapidly decelerating and automatically braking. I did not apply the brakes. There was no warning beep before the automatic braking occurred. The vehicle behaved as though it had detected an imminent collision or obstacle directly in its path, even though there was no vehicle, pedestrian, or other obstacle in my lane for at least a mile. The event occurred while Adaptive Cruise Control was engaged. I am concerned that the EyeSight/Adaptive Cruise Control and/or Pre-Collision Braking system incorrectly detected the police vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane as an obstacle or as being in my vehicle’s path. The sudden automatic braking at approximately 45–50 mph is a serious safety concern. A vehicle traveling behind me could have struck my vehicle because the deceleration was unexpected and there was no warning beep. This type of false or inappropriate automatic braking could cause a rear-end collision or other crash. I am requesting that the federal safety agency investigate whether 2024 Subaru Outback vehicles equipped with EyeSight and Adaptive Cruise Control are experiencing unintended or inappropriate automatic braking, phantom braking, or rapid deceleration when vehicles are traveling in an adjacent lane. I would like this complaint associated with other reports involving sudden braking, rapid deceleration, Adaptive Cruise Control, EyeSight, and Pre-Collision Braking in 2024 Subaru Outback vehicles. I am willing to provide additional INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION

Filed Sep 2, 2026 · Driver assistance · CO

While driving on the highway I had my cruise control on with my driving assist turned on. My car tried to veer to the left, hard, almost into the guardrail. It had happened before but not as severe as this time. Going highway speed, I was lucky enough no one was next to me. Someone could have got seriously injured!

Filed Aug 17, 2026 · Acceleration, Driver assistance · TX

I'm new to this automotive technology. When I was introduced to the car, one of the "features" indicated was the ability to sense and slow down for curves, if the system sensed the need, when operating under the cruise control option. In testing my different options of my new car, I was using the cruise control on a 65 mph road in TX set to 60 mph. As I entered the curve the car did not slow down. This was a surprise to me. I contacted a Subaru dealer about this. I was told that my trim level did not have this "option". Before I contacted the dealer I did look in the Subaru EyeSight Drivers Assist Technology Owners Manual. On pages 280 and 281 of this manual in the Cruise Control, Pre-curve Speed Control*, ON/OFF. The *note is "if equipped". My car is not equipped. I was not informed or cautioned about this when I went through the delivery process. I did not know I did not have this feature. My complaint is this. If the car is equipped to assist steering when in cruise control, for safety, all models should come standard with the Pre-curve Speed Control. It only takes one instant for a new driver to loose control if expecting this feature to be present. I am an experienced driver. I was able to take corrective action to avoid trouble. But, I did anticipate the car to slow and was startled when it did not.

Filed Jul 7, 2026 · OK

Came out to car on the morning of July 1, 2026 and found windshield had cracked from the very bottom of the windshield (no impacts). This is the third windshield I will be putting in this car. Original windshield was replaced by Subaru 4/25 2025 for the same exact problem. 2015 &16 Outbacks had a settlement filed as did the 20-23 subarus. This is a known problem.These cracks limit visibility, interfere with all other safety systems: Lane change, cruise control, visibility, auto brake for emergency and other related safety systems. I could not go with aftermarket windshields (Safelite) because Subaru said they would not cover any malfunctions with the eyesight system unless it was Subaru glass. I have contacted my Subaru dealer and they said Subaru will more than likely not cover it. Their glass was put in by them 15 months ago and this not the result of a chip or impact. Came out in the morning and it was cracked. Go to any Subaru owners web sites and you will see this is a reoccurring, KNOWN problem for almost ALL Subaru models. How can safety items LIKE WINDSHIELDS ( which affects ALL other safety systems) not fall under NTHB?? So class action lawsuits cover the two PRIOR years and the next three model years, but not 2017?? jSame glass, same manufacturer, same know problem.

Filed Mar 31, 2026 · Driver assistance · VA

Traveling southbound onXXX in Virginia between the hours of 7-9am. Weather was clear with bright sunshine. While traveling at highway speed with the cruise control activated the emergency braking system activated on 3 separate occasions. Traffic was heavy but moving at a steady speed. I suspect the angle of the sun and the sunlight intensity caused the inadvertent activation.

Filed Mar 12, 2026 · Brakes, Electrical · CA

This car is a very well-maintained, low-use vehicle with regular oil changes and routine maintenance performed on schedule. Early in this drive, I noticed an unusual hissing sound as I approached a stop. When I tried to brake, I realized my brakes didn't seem to be responding. I pressed the brake pedal harder and realized that with 50-100 pounds of pressure (guess), I could slow the car down. As I came to a stop, the engine died. I restarted the car, and it died again immediately. After the following restart, I realized I could manually keep the RPM up in neutral while at stops, and press with significant force to get the car to stop. Had I not been comfortable two foot driving or understood the issue, this surely would have resulted in a crash of some sort. The car indicated a check engine light, loss of traction control, a flashing BRAKE light, and a flashing cruise control light. I took the car immediately to a local shop where they identified the problem as a vacuum leak at the brake booster. The plastic piece that the hose clamps onto had cracked off, leading to this problem. This make and model does not seem to have a check valve downstream of this component.

Filed Dec 19, 2025 · Acceleration · FL

I was driving on I-95 South in Georgia on Thursday, 18 December at approximately 9:00 pm in my 2019 Subaru Outback (6 cylinder engine). There was good visiblity and dry road conditions. I did not have the cruise control on. I was traveling at 75 mph and wanted to pass a truck. As I increased my speed to 78 mph to pass the truck, the Subaru began to accelerate to 85 mph and my rpms went up to 4000. The car continued to accelerate. I checked the cruise control and it was in fact off. I felt with my foot to make sure the accelerator was not stuck and it was not. I pushed hard on the brakes to counter the acceleration and after about 1 minute the car became controllable again. I drove the rest of my trip going 70 mph and did not have a further incident that evening. Because of the traffic ahead of me, this acceleration caused me great concern for myself and the passenger in the car. I have not had this problem before and have not reported it to my Subaru dealer yet. No one else has examined the car since this incident yesterday. I did not receive any warning lights or dashboard messages prior to the incident.

Filed Oct 27, 2025 · Driver assistance, Engine · AL

Steering wheel controls frequently fail to work properly on the cruise control system specially the speed control. Also the exhaust system bellow has cracked. The moonroof leaks into the cabin and floor area of the passenger side. Also leaking into the A pillar on the passenger side. I only have a picture of the engine valve cover that is leaking and had to be replaced. I have video of the exhaust leak coming from the crack in the bellow pipe. Do not have video of the cruise control speed issues as I can’t take a video while driving.

Filed Sep 22, 2025 · Acceleration, Brakes · IN · crash

I was within the town limits so I was driving slowly. When I approached the first stop light in town I saw that it was red. There were of three or four vehicles stopped at that light. At that point I was probably only going 5mph. I took my foot off of the gas pedal and put my foot on the brake to make a slow stop. Instead, the car accelerated rather quickly. I continued to brake but the car seemed to speed up. I was able to avoid hitting the truck in front of me by going around it. No vehicles were coming towards me but there were some stopped at the other side of the light. I drove up on the sidewalk to avoid hitting anyone. At that point the front passenger side of the car hit & snapped a pole. The car did not stop immediately upon impact. It stopped acclerating and came to a stop about 10 feet past the pole. I am not sure how fast the car was moving when it hit the pole but I was only going about 5 mph when I put my foot on the break. I would estimate the distance my car traveled from the moment I put my foot on the break until the car stopped was approximately 100-120 feet. It felt like the car went into the cruise resume mode and was trying to accelerate to a predetermined speed. I had not been using the cruise control that day but that is exactly what it felt like. There was one other time this year that the car lunged forward without using the gas pedal. It stopped quickly for me and I just assumed that I had hit the cruise resume button, although I also hadn't been using the cruise that day. The insurance company took the car to an impound lot two hours away. I am sure there has been no inspection and my insurance has not informed me of the status of having my car totaled or repaired. Because of the age of the car, and damage, they think it will be totaled. Yes, my safety and the safety of anyone near me was at risk. The car malfunctioned and the fact no one was hurt was miraculous. There were no warning messages before this accident.